Danon: Palestinian state summit ‘theater’ that rewards Hamas

Mike Wagenheim

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas at the opening session of the Palestinian Central Council, Ramallah Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Photo by Flash90.

Moments before French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Paris’ recognition of a Palestinian state represented a “defeat of Hamas” and of those driven by “anti-Zionist obsessions,” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said Macron and other like-minded leaders had come to New York “to play the game.”

Macron made the announcement to open Monday’s Palestinian state summit, which saw recognition from countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal on Sunday, and from Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco during the conference itself.

The decisions came amid strong opposition from the United States and Israel, with Washington and Jerusalem arguing that the recognition effectively rewards Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel—a stance the Palestinian terror group has endorsed.

“It’s a show. It’s theater. They’re not going to change anything,” Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. envoy, told JNS.

He said some countries “actually hinted that they will make demands before the recognition,” though in the end, only Belgium made its recognition conditional, stating it will take effect only when all hostages are freed and Hamas is no longer in power.

For his part, Macron noted a framework for a revived Palestinian Authority, largely drawn from an outcome declaration of a Palestinian state conference held in July. France has committed to opening an embassy to the Palestinians if the P.A. and Hamas meet certain conditions, but that does not affect the statehood recognition announced on Monday.

“As we speak, you have this celebration here,” Danon said of the summit. “And I made it very clear; this war will not end with hostages still in Gaza. The war will end when it brings all of them back home and Hamas is out of the game.”

Macron said on Monday that “the time has come” for the release of the 48 remaining captives and for the Israel-Hamas war to end, while acknowledging that the Oct. 7 invasion remains an “open wound for Israelis.”

While asserting that France will honor the memory of the Oct. 7 victims and combat antisemitism, Macron said, “We are just a few moments away from being no longer able to seize peace,” adding, “Some may say it’s too late, some may say it’s too early. But one thing is clear: we can no longer wait.”

France co-sponsored the event with Saudi Arabia, though Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not attend.

Major U.S. allies, including Germany, Italy and Japan, all declined to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Danon told JNS that Israel engaged diplomatically with several countries considering recognition of Palestinian statehood, though he declined to name them.

“Some of them are not here today, and we are grateful for that. Some of them put some conditions to their statements,” Danon said. “But unfortunately, after two years, some countries feel they have to do something regarding the war. They cannot speak with Hamas. So, they feel that by coming here and making the declaration and taking a very nice picture in the UNGA hall, they’re actually making a change.” 

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas addressed the summit via live video link after he and other members of the P.A. and Palestine Liberation Organization were denied U.S. visas.

Abbas, now in the 20th year of a four-year term, pledged to hold Palestinian elections within a year of a ceasefire. He has repeatedly postponed elections and promised reforms to his government.

The Palestinian Authority holds observer status at the United Nations, and no matter how many countries recognize Palestinian statehood, Washington can block full U.N. membership using its Security Council veto.

Danon said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss with U.S. President Donald Trump the possible repercussions for countries that recognized Palestinian statehood.

Trump is scheduled to host Netanyahu at the White House next Monday.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/GAZA (Fot. REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)

“Hamas już świętuje”. Izrael wściekły na decyzję Wielkiej Brytanii

Marta Urzędowska

Keir Starmer Fot. REUTERS/Leon Neal

David Lammy: Izrael nasilił ofensywę w Gazie i rozbudowuje osiedla na Zachodnim Brzegu

W Nowym Jorku Wielką Brytanię reprezentuje wicepremier David Lammy. – To ważne, by podkreślić, że uznanie palestyńskiego państwa jest konsekwencją poważnej ekspansji na Zachodnim Brzegu, a także przemocy ze strony osadników, którą obserwujemy – tłumaczył w sobotę (20.09).

Sytuacja humanitarna w Strefie Gazy jest rozpaczliwa i naciskamy Izrael, by skończył ze scenami niedożywienia i głodu, jakich jesteśmy świadkami, by otworzył więcej punktów pomocy

– wyliczał. – Bardzo niepokoi nas też obecna ofensywa w mieście Gaza – dodał.

Starmer, uznając palestyńskie państwo, naraża się Waszyngtonowi. Donald Trump od początku ostro krytykował plany europejskich sojuszników Izraela i podobnie jak izraelskie władze uważa, że to wspieranie Hamasu.

UK, Australia and Canada Recognize Palestinian State, Israel Condemns Decision

Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward, using a vehicle packed with personal belongings, after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, September 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Britain, Canada and Australia all recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, prompting a furious response from Israel.

The decision by three major Western nations, which have been traditional allies of Israel, aligned them with about 140 other countries also backing Palestinians’ aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the Israeli-occupied territories.

Britain’s decision carried particular symbolism given its major role in Israel’s creation as a modern nation in the aftermath of World War Two.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.”

Other nations, including France, are expected to follow suit this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move.

“I have a clear message to those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7: You are giving a huge reward to terrorism,” he said, referring to Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the nearly two-year war in Gaza.

“And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”

The Hamas-led attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.

PALESTINIANS WELCOME RECOGNITION

“It is a human duty of every respectful and free human being in the world to support Palestinians during the ordeal they are going through and Britain’s role now comes within this,” said Sharaf Al Tarda, a Palestinian resident of Hebron in the West Bank.

Hamas welcomed the move but said it must be accompanied by “practical measures” to end the war in Gaza and prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said recognition would help pave the way for the “State of Palestine to live side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness”.

Starmer wrote to Abbas to confirm Britain’s decision, noting that London had backed a Jewish homeland in 1917 while also pledging to protect the rights of non-Jewish communities.

Western governments have been under pressure from many in their parties and populations angry at the ever-rising death toll in Gaza, images of starving children and their states’ inability to rein in Israel, even continuing to provide arms.

Londoners voiced mixed reactions on Sunday.

“A whole lot needs to happen and peace needs to come to that region,” said 56-year-old charity director Michael Angus. “This is the first step in actually acknowledging that those people have a right to have somewhere to call home.”

Announcing his country’s decision, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said it would empower those seeking peaceful co-existence and the end of Hamas. “This in no way legitimizes terrorism, nor is it any reward for it,” he added.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, did not comment immediately on the decision by three of its allies to recognize a Palestinian state, but President Donald Trump has previously made clear he opposes such a move.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would propose that the cabinet apply sovereignty in the West Bank. That would represent de facto annexation of land seized in a 1967 war.

BRITAIN PLAYED A KEY HISTORIC ROLE

British troops captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire in 1917, and in 1922 the League of Nations awarded Britain an international mandate to administer Palestine during the post-war deal-making that redrew the map of the Middle East.

Mandy Damari, the British mother of released British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, told Reuters on Sunday that Starmer was “under a two-state delusion” given that the Gaza Strip’s government was still Hamas whose mission was to destroy Israel.

“He is rewarding Hamas for the 7th October barbaric and savage attack on Israel when the hostages are still not back, the war is not over and Hamas are still in power in Gaza.”

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, watched on his phone as Starmer announced Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

At the London headquarters of the mission, which may now be upgraded to an embassy, there were smiles and embraces.

“Today is a moment when the UK Prime Minister and the British government, on behalf of their people, stand and say: ‘We must correct history, we must right the wrongs,’” Zomlot said.

‘No other choice’: IDF pushes deeper into Gaza City

JNS Staff

IDF tanks and troops operating in Gaza City, September 16, 2025. Credit: IDF.

The Israel Defense Forces is advancing into Gaza City, targeting Hamas’s main stronghold, with troops engaged in combat against terrorists both above and below ground, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said on Sunday.

“Hamas has shown the world its true strategy: to exploit its own people and prolong this war,” said Defrin.

“Our forces are working day and night, turning over every stone, to bring our hostages home, dismantle Hamas’s terror networks, and secure a safer region for all,” he added.

Over the past week, Hamas had demonstrated its tactics by firing on a U.N. team, using stolen United Nations vehicles to obstruct the building of a new road for aid deliveries and robbing four UNICEF trucks at gunpoint, depriving thousands of infants of baby formula, said Defrin.

Hamas continues to block civilians from leaving combat zones, choosing to sacrifice Gaza’s residents rather than protecting them, he added.

The IDF has carried out a wide-scale operation to warn civilians and move them away from the fighting, using tools such as voice messages, leaflet drops, text messages and phone calls.

The military said it concurrently designated a humanitarian area in Khan Yunis and was working to expand related infrastructure in southern Gaza, including field hospitals, water pipelines, desalination facilities and the continued delivery of food, tents, medicine and medical equipment.

Defrin noted that tons of supplies were waiting at the Kerem Shalom crossing for collection by the United Nations and other international organizations, calling on them to deliver the aid directly to Gazans.

“Israel is ensuring civilians can keep out of harm’s way, enabling access to food, shelter and medicine,” said Defrin.

According to the IDF, more than 550,000 civilians have so far evacuated south from Gaza City, while the 162nd, 98th and 36th divisions have begun operating in Hamas strongholds.

“As the Jewish New Year arrives, forty-eight hostages remain in the grip of Hamas,” continued Defrin. “Their captivity is an unfinished chapter of this war—and we will not close it until they are home. We have no other choice.”

Rosh Hashanah – Know How This Jewish New Year Is Celebrated

Rosh Hashanah is a special festival that marks the Jewish New Year. It is a two-day celebration which usually occurs during the month of September. In 2020, Jewish New Year will begin in the evening of 18th September & end in the evening of 20th September. It is a time for people to reflect on the past year and ask for forgiveness for anything wrong that they have done.

Let’s have a look at how the Jewish New Year is celebrated.

On the morning of this religious festival, a shofar, an ancient musical instrument made from ram’s horn is blown during the prayer service. It is customary to hear the blowing of the shofar 100 times during Rosh Hashanah.

Candle Lighting

Candles are lit on most Jewish holidays. All the girls and women in the house light candles on each night of Rosh Hashanah. On the first night, the candles can be lit any time before the holiday meal. On the second night, the candles should be lit from a pre-existing flame after nightfall. After reciting the holiday candle-lighting blessing, people recite Shehecheyanu blessing for thanking God for giving them the life and strength to reach this special day.

Festival Meal

Food is an important part of Jewish New Year celebrations, particularly sweet food, which symbolize a sweet New Year. It is a tradition to begin the meal on the first night with slices of apple dipped in honey. Many people eat parts of the head of a fish expressing their wish to be a head and not a tail. Pomegranate, round raisin challah and honey are some popular foods on the dinner table during the Jewish New Year.

Rosh Hashanah Greetings

People celebrating Rosh Hashanah wish each other a Happy New Year in different ways. One of the most popular greetings is- ‘L’shanah tovah’ which means have a good year. Sometimes people also choose ‘Shanah Tovah Umetukah’ to greet their loved ones which means have a good and sweet year.

Rosh Hashanah Gifts

People send festival greetings to friends and family with unique and thoughtful Rosh Hashanah gift ideas. Sweet foods like honey and apples are perfect for pleasing your loved ones. A wine hamper is a classy Jewish New Year gift idea to mark the occasion. A gourmet food hamper filled with fresh fruits, pie, chocolates, apple-honey challah and cheese is another excellent Rosh Hashanah gift option to greet loved ones and bring Rosh Hashanah flavours forward.

Make this Rosh Hashanah truly memorable for friends and family with thoughtful gifts and heartwarming greetings.